Sinner's Game
by OrAngESouL6D6M6
Summary: Liz knows that the world isn't nice, or even fair; equivalent exchange be damned. If it was, then where's her happy ending? It's not coming anytime soon, so she's going to have to go through Hell to hunt it down, and drag it back to Resembool.


_**Before Note: **Hi everybody :) This is my first story, so please review. :D  
><em>_At the beginning, I'm gonna try to make my story in a lighter mood. Later on, though I'll still try to put in bits of humor here and there, it's really going to be more serious. And I'm going to focus on character development, though I'll try not to do the whole melodramatic, forced kind of character development. :)  
><em>_Please don't get thrown off by the first few paragraphs :P They're kinda of a drag, but survive through it, and you'll be alright :) I hope... :P  
><em>At the very beginning, there's not much action. This first chapter is mainly for introducing the characters.<br>__

_**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, sadly :( The amazing Arakawa-sempai does. :D Though I do own OC, the milkman, and other characters later on._

_Thanks for reading :D_

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><p><em>Suppose time is a circle, bending back on itself. The world repeats itself, precisely, endlessly ~ <em>Alan Lightman, _Einstein's Dreams_

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><p><strong>Third POV<strong>

This world is of misery, despair, and death. War wages on. Lives are lost and hatred burns. But in the midst of it all, there are some terrors that only lie within our imagination.

Beyond the rolling hills of Resembool, a great plateau stretched far into the horizon. Plowed land, scattered trees, mere specks in the ongoing landscape, the occasional home, and a highway system were scattered across the otherwise endless field of green. This "highway system" was actually just a straight dirt road with many other paths branching off from it. However, along the main path starting from the train station, it would eventually lead to a dilapidated school.

The school consisted of only one classroom of thirty-one: thirty students and a teacher. The building, straying from the rest of the village, appeared to be a welcoming place for desperate travelers, but when they approached, a menacing aura shrouded them. As ignorant ones neared, it only increased. Rumor had it that souls of students' and victims' souls haunted it, their whispered voices eerily cutting through the deadly silence. Soon, the travelers would lose themselves to a labyrinth of lunacy. Most blacked out before complete insanity overwhelmed them, but the unfortunate ones were left facing their greatest fears dwelling within the crevices of their imagination.

The core of this threatening presence lay within the classroom: a teacher's stupefacient blathering.

"Now you have to multiply this by six to get the answer. Who can tell me what six times thirteen is?" The teacher's beady eyes scanned across the room. They lingered over a boy indulged in a book as large as himself. His light golden bangs framed his face, parting in the center, with a cowlick sticking out between them. He unsteadily clutched the hefty book with his left hand as he gripped the page with his right.

"Edward—listen up! Could you tell me what six times thirteen is?" she snapped. Two surprised golden doe eyes peered over the alchemy book to meet the teacher's stern gaze.

"Huh?" Eleven-year old Edward Elric glared at the teacher, refusing to advert his gaze from the teacher's challenging stare. Goodness, couldn't the old hag leave him in peace every once in a while? He couldn't bear obedience to that witch.

"I thought so. You'll be benched next time I catch you reading again. It's great that you're so eager to learn, but please don't do it in class." Catching onto her words a brief look of surprised flashed on the student's faces before they zoned out again. They could never get used to the teacher's eccentric behavior.

"But it's so _boring_. And I already know all that stuff," Ed complained. He glanced across the room for support, but she had bewitched their senses and hexed them to a deep daydream.

"Who said you're supposed to have fun at school? That's what weekends and breaks are for," she scoffed. "Anyways, if you're really so smart, tell me what six times thirteen is, right on the spot." She paused, waiting for a response. Its absence brought a wicked smile to her lips. "I rest my case." She guffawed villainously before turning around to the blackboard to scratch in the answer with a decaying piece of chalk.

Ed stuck out his tongue at her, his cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment. But the incident was soon forgotten when his younger brother Al caught his eye and flashed him a grin. Ed returned it with a thumbs-up.

Ten-year old Al was a gentle guy, with soft features, wide, innocent golden eyes, and satisfyingly genuine smiles. The fringe of his light brown hair was swept to the side, and his hair was trimmed short. He was a bit leaner and shorter than his brother but had the same puffy cheeks as Ed.

Two seats ahead of Ed, ten-year old Liz Athersman snickered. It was a delight to see her arch nemesis getting into his usual trouble. Not that she was fully attentive herself—but she already learned everything the textbooks had to offer.

She stared at the clock, willing the minute hand to hurriedly tick to ten, and glanced across the room to find eleven-year old Winry Rockbell, her best friend, asleep, nose-deep in her 's straight, light blond, shoulder-length hair fell into her book and around the sides, and her matted bangs, usually swept sideways like Al's, was pushed out. The notebook hid most of her face, but Liz could still see the edge of a round blue eye, which, at the moment, were closed—after all, she was asleep. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, probably from a peaceful dream.

Sleeping in class was common for her; she usually stayed up late at night to read up on Automail. Liz accompanied her for a while reading alchemy books alongside her, but she, not quite the night owl, always fell asleep soon.

She sighed and absentmindedly brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. They always fell across her forehead and reached her eyes, but it usually didn't bother her. Her dark brown hair, pulled into a quick high ponytail, was always messy anyways; there were more important things to do than spend time wrestling with her hair every day.

Liz had bright, large dark brown eyes. Liz was short and skinny for her age but still had chubby she grinned, dimples dotted her them. She provided the perfect image of the typical seven-year old, except for one feature of hers: her Automail left arm. Grannie Pinako had designed and built in the arm six years ago, when she had just moved in with the Rockbells.

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><p>The teacher finally finished her lecture as the minute hand ticked to 2:10. "Okay, that's the end of it for today. And don't forget—Edward! You're lucky that it's not class time anymore. Honestly, could you just drop off the reading for a while? Anyways, everybody, don't forget to simplify your fractions. Class dismissed!"<p>

Students who broke out of her monotony spell sprang back to life, rushing out the door, seeming to vanish before the teacher's eyes. For the other half of the class, the spell's effect slowly faded as they woke from the enchantment. They processed the mysterious disappearance of fifteen students before disappearing also. Liz strode over to a half-asleep Winry still clumsily jamming her notebook into her duffel bag. They always ended up being the last ones to leave, as Winry took her time to snap back to reality.

"Hey Winry, Liz—hurry up!" Al shouted at the door, resisting the effects of lingering boredom. Winry shoved the rest of her belongings into her bag and hurried to the door. Liz respectfully mumbled goodbye to the teacher before rushing to catch up to the rest.

Outside, Liz waited for her eyes to adjust to the brightness before taking in the view before her. The sun casted a blanket of heat waves, and many students sat under nearby trees, fanning themselves with their hands. The colors along the hills popped out at her and even when she squinted her eyes shut, refused to dissolve into the blackness. The heat zapped energy into her, jolting her to life like stuffing a fresh batch of homemade cookies all at once, which she had learned not to do after burning her tongue and receiving a lecture from Grannie about diets, though Liz suspected Grannie was just upset she didn't try stuffing her face herself. She spread her arms wide, inviting the bronzed pancake—she meant the sun, excuse her—the sky, the pure, fresh air, this glorious, beautiful land, free from the horrible land of learning, pure bliss pervading her and—

"Liz, hurry up, would you? What are you doing there, sweet talking to the teacher?" Ed jeered.

Liz shot him a deadly glare. Leave it for Ed to ruin the moment. "Shuddup, squirt. Just 'cuz you're a troublemaker doesn't mean we all are. The teacher just likes me more. And I like sweets. Don't group them with the teacher."

Ed whimpered under her piercing glare. Even he couldn't stand Liz's wrath; how unfortunate of him to get on_her_ bad side. A slight pink tinged his cheeks. "That's because you're sweet talking to everyone! And don't all me squirt." He pouted. "I'm older than you!"

"Goodness, well, don't blame me for being smart enough to get on people's good sides. You know, people do _good_ things for you if you get on their _good_ side. Not my problem if you can't ever use anybody because nobody likes you." Liz dramatically sighed like an irritably teenaged teenager. "Anyways, I'm taller than you," Liz snapped, though not as viciously. Ed's annoyance was enough to keep her spirits up.

"Don't call me short! And it's not good to use people! Sorry, but I'm human, half-pint."

"Gee, you are? Hard to tell. You seem too…'vertically challenged,'" Liz said in a sugary voice. Al and Winry suppressed giggles, whispering through cupped hands.

"Hey, you know that Ed is **CENSORED** centimeters tall, even with his antenna. If you don't count it, he's actually **CENSORED **centimeters," Al whispered in Winry's ear.

"Wow! I'm taller than him and I'm a girl!"

"You're taller than all of us, Winry."

"Well, you all are just short!"

"Hey, hey hey! I heard that!" Ed growled. Liz and Ed ran a few steps ahead, knowing that he could go on rage on them at any moment.

"See what a jerk he is?" The sigh again.

"Shut up—I'm always nice, right?" An awkward silence passed as Al and Winry shook their heads.

"Well, better than Liz, right?" Two nods.

As they continued their quarrel, Winry turned to Al. "Hey, do you wanna play with me and Liz?" she asked.

"Sorry, but Ed and I are busy today. Maybe tomorrow." He smiled awkwardly, knowing her usual reaction to his response.

"Like what? Seriously, I promise not to tell anybody."

"It's a secret." Al's grin reached his eyes. But we're almost done." He couldn't wait to see the result of his and his brother's little "secret."

Winry huffed in exasperation. "You never tell me anything!" Her annoyance rose for a moment, but a few weeds along the route distracted her. She plucked one out and twirled it between her forefinger and thumb.

Ed and Liz had finally gone into a discussion about who was the better alchemist. Liz knew insults resolved nothing, creating only trouble or futile effort, but she enjoyed teasing Ed and seeing his priceless reactions. When his screams of anger began to irritate Liz, she kicked him in the shins and left him to massage his throbbing leg.

As Liz strode alongside Ed and Al, she noticed subtle differences from their common movements. Al's usual long strides were shorter and quicker. He swung his arms unnaturally, clenching his fists and using more force than usual, occasionally, his right hand twitched, if only slightly. He also put too much strain on his face; he tried a nonchalant look, but his jaw tightened too much, and Liz could tell he was biting back a smile. But his deer-in-the-headlights eyes screamed EXCITEMENT to Liz. Honestly, how could none of them really not notice anything?

Not that Ed was doing any better. He tried to slowly look around the scenery of overlapping hills but cocked his head too quickly. Not to mention that the idiot's never been interested in _scenery_. His posture was straighter than usual slouch; his eyes suspiciously darted to Winry and Liz every once in a while; his strides were too bouncy; he shoved his hands too deep into his pockets.

Liz returned their movements with her own screaming SUSPICIOUS. She returned Ed's peeks and cleared her throat every once in a while, casting them long glances before averting her gaze back to the road. She grinned when she caught them exchanging tense glances.

"Liz, are you alright?" Winry finally noted. Did Liz's compulsive eating finally take toll on her? Not that she didn't eating excessively, but yesterday she had stolen a fourth of Winry's dinner in one go besides her usual six servings. And a third of her desert besides her own tripled amount. And more of the leftover dinner. _And _a midnight snack—which was more like a day's worth of food for a hungry man. Winry guiltily pleasured this idea as she probably wouldn't be missing anymore cookies from her lunch box anymore.

"Yeah," she said slowly, looking back at the boys. They tried to ignore her without success. Winry groaned, but quickly stopped herself.

They walked in silence for a few more moments until they neared a familiar figure.

"Hi Milkman! How 'ya doing?" Liz shouted. The others politely waved to him. The milkman looked up from his low squat while milking the cows. He had frizzy, tousled brown hair with a few gray streaks, and a bushy coffee-brown mustache to match it. The milkman was plump, yet seemed to be in good shape.

He always had a twinkle in his eye, whether crafty or happy the townsfolk couldn't tell; he was a well-known prankster among the townsfolk during his milkman days. Everyone around called him Milkman out of habit even though he ended his milkman career years ago.

He especially liked Liz for her wit and "cuteness" and offered her cartons of milk whenever she visited him. For a few days after her visits, Ed always seemed to have found extra milk in his morning helpings, much to his annoyance.

"Good afternoon, Liz, Winry, Ed, Al. A bit warm out to be taking a stroll today, isn't it?" the milkman replied.

"Nah, we're just walking home. A bit warm out to be milking cows, isn't it?" Liz replied sarcastically.

"Ahahaha! Every day's a workday for me! There's no time of the year when you don't need milk." The milkman grinned.

"Yes, there is," Ed mumbled under his breath. But the milkman caught onto his words.

"Ed! Have you been drinking your milk recently? Last time Pinako came over, she was complaining about you sneaking your extra milk in Liz's cup behind her back! Ahahaha!"

"Shut up! I've tried to drink it—it's just gross." He stuck is tongue out at the milkman, ignoring Liz's clenched fist beating against her palm.

"Ahahaha! A word of advice for all of you, you'll always be at that height you are if you don't drink your milk, especially you, Ed! Ahahaha!"

"Yeah, Ed…wait—hey! Don't group me with him!" Al grimace. Winry and Liz nodded.

"Ahahaha! He's quite the grouch, isn't he?" The milkman chuckled, and pretty soon, everyone but Ed was holding their sides from laughter, unaware of the subject of it.

Ed growled, sending them into more fits of laughter. "Hey, what did I ever do to all of y—" A brief pause. "What did I ever do to you, Milkman?"

"You don't like my milk! Ahahaha!" The milkman's booming laughter rang throughout the fields. Ed couldn't help it; pretty soon he fell too down from laughter, holding onto his sides.

"Ah, we all ought to have a good laugh every once in a while! Why don't you guys come over for a while?"

"Okay, sure!" Liz said. Winry nodded. Winry glanced over to the brothers.

"Sorry, not today—but we'll come tomorrow for sure." Al said.

"Make sure to come over today! Soup today—Pinako's special!" Winry shouted at their retreating backs.

"Okay!" Al shouted over his shoulder. Ed waved without looking back.

"What's up with them? Goodness, they're always doing alchemy stuff these days," Liz sighed.

"Look who's talking—what about you?" Winry teased.

"Oh, c'mon, you're the one who's been pulling off all-nighters reading up on Automail!" Liz shot back.

"Ahahaha! I ought to tell you, I pulled off five consecutive all-nighters before! Eh, pretty good, huh?" the milkman gloated as he strode towards his handmade, shabby but beloved home. "You guys ought to have heard about it, haven't you? Ask any of the old townsfolk—they'll surely know."

"Oh and, by the way, what're the boys doing today? Heard they're quite the alchemists," the milkman said. "Are they studying? Those boys should be enjoying their young lives! Studying and working's for the old men like me. Ahahaha!"

"Yeah, they never tell us what they're doing," Winry mumbled, her voice edged with frustration. "But at least they said they're gonna be finishing today." She sighed. "I just wonder what they're so caught up with. What do you think they're doing?"

"Me? Probably planning a surprise for you lot. I remember the good ol' farmer once threw me a surprise party. Acting all suspicious for weeks! You know him, don't you? The one that used to work here?" Liz shook her head, but Winry nodded vigorously, glad to know _something_ that Liz didn't. "Eh, you came after he left. You should have met him—he was a great man." He smiled, his eyes peaceful as he recalled memories.

Liz shrugged. "Where's he now?"

The milkman chuckled, a bit nervously, as Liz noted. "Dunno 'bout that. Probably traveling around. I think I still have a picture of him. I'll show it to you if I ever find it." He looked out the window, concentrating harder than necessary.

Liz bore in mind his change of attitude, but didn't press any further. "Hey, Winry. Let's check out what the boys are doing."

"But then it won't be a surprise," Winry whined.

"I don't like surprises."

"Why not? They're fun!"

"I prefer preparing for what will probably happen so I will be ready for them if they come."

"But then it's not fun anymore!"

"Do you really think they're gonna throw a surprise for us?"

"Well, it's almost your birthday."

"Winry, my birthday's in _five months._"

"Well, mine's in seven!"

"So? That doesn't change mine being in five months!"

"Well…"

"It wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"I guess not…"

"Anyways, don't you wanna know what their secret is?"

Winry finally agreed, giggling. "I really wonder what it is."

"Yeah—we've all been—for the last two month." Liz peered back at the milkman. "Hey, sorry for the short visit, but we're gonna go."

The milkman grinned. "Something I would have done in my young days. Don't get caught! Ahahaha!"

Liz and Winry waved goodbye. Winry wore a crafty grin, giddy with their plan. Liz thought out all the possible likely scenarios that would occur during their spying.

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><p>Ed and Al finished the last preparations for the procedure. They worked in a small room of gray walls and musty stone floor. Everything was pushed aside in a corner, leaving an empty space in the center of the room. To the right of the entrance, there was a table of peculiar ingredients.<p>

Ed reread all of these ingredients for Al to check off. "Hmm, so it's: water, 35 liters; carbon, 20 kilograms; ammonia, 4 liter; lime, 1.5 liters; phosphorus, 800 grams; salt, 250 grams; saltpeter, 100 grams; sulfur, 80 grams; fluorine, 7.5 grams; iron, 5 grams; and silicon, 3 grams. That's everything. We have all of them, right?"

"Yeah—wait I think there's too much water… Never mind, it's all ready." Al poured the ingredients into a metal bin and mixed them together with a wooden spoon as Ed sketched a vague picture on the floor.

Al couldn't believe they were finally doing this! And actually doing it in the first place. It was an unaccomplished feat, something that no one had ever done—but they would definitely do so. And they were going to see Mother again! A grin tugged at Al's lips. Mother will come back! He couldn't wait to see her smile again, to really feel her, as she praised their alchemical skills. And they would live, happily ever after, until the end of their days.

Though he hung onto this thought, a sinister voice in the back of his head warned him. That how could a couple of eight year old achieve the unachieved? But he brushed it aside and let the lasting warmth of the previous thought remain.

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><p>"Winry, hurry up, would you?" Liz yelled to her. Winry was quite the distance behind and tried unsuccessfully to catch up to Liz with her slowing pace.<p>

"Slow down…would you?" Winry huffed between ragged breaths. She ran to a slow stop, holding onto her knees for support.

After catching her breath, she called out, "Hey, I can't run that fast. What's the rush for, anyways?"

"C'mon, we're almost there. You can see their houses there!" Liz pointed to a two story house perched not far from where she stood. It overlooked the other houses, as it stood on the hill's apex, but at a closer inspection, it wasn't all that grand. It appeared taller from its position on the hill, and the weathered wood that held it up was slightly moth-eaten. The supposedly bright coat of white paint was a dirty gray, with flecks peeled off to reveal wood.

"Yeah, so can't we just walk the rest of the way? I can barely move."

"We're wasting time arguing. We could've ran a quarter of the distance with that time. They might be done with it already!"

"But I can't run anymore!"

"Fine! We'll walk, just hurry!" Liz impatiently shifted her weight from foot to foot as Winry jogged up to her. They speed-walked together the rest of the way home, Winry every so often breaking into a jog to catch up to Liz's brisk strides.

An exasperated Liz and a breathless Winry eventually reached their destination. Liz quickly opened the door, leaving it an inch from the wall. If she opened the door slowly, its hinges would sound a low creak. Liz tip-toed in, and Winry followed in after her, tracing her footsteps. She remembered which floorboards produced a groan when stepped from her visits to the Elric's home.

As Winry cautiously hopped her last few steps, Liz slowly pushed ajar and peeked in. Al faced a table opposite her; he poured in a white, powdery substance into a bin of a strange gray substances. Ed crawled on the floor, filling in the last few details of a picture, grinding the piece of chalk in with as much pressure as possible so that the pictures were bolder and didn't fade as easily. It took a moment for Liz to comprehend what it was—a transmutation circle. Liz's disbelief tried to sway her mind without effect.

Because it definitely wasn't an ordinary one.

When Winry looked up from the ground to Liz, she froze. Liz trembled, her mouth hanging agape. Incredulity filled her watery eyes, along with something else—fear.

Winry knew those eyes, so wild, so full of insanity. When Liz first came to live with them, she overlooked reality to the horridly vivid memories. Winry remembered Liz's instability at that time, how she would flail and shout in the middle of the night, during meals how she would see her reflection in the spoon and burst to tears, when she would sit at the fireplace, staring at the flickering flame and cry for help. Those fearful, mad eyes, they looked just like the ones more.

Liz's vision blurred. She wiped away the tears, and tried to bring her panicking mind back to order. She cocked her head towards Winry. "Get Grannie!" she muttered, her voice wavering.

Winry didn't move, frozen in place from Liz's frightening gaze. "But—"

"Just get her! Hurry!" This time, too fearful to object, Winry scurried out the door, ignoring the creaking that followed.

When Liz peered back to the boys, she drew in a quick gasp. The boys grinned at each other and clapped their hands together in unison.

"You ready, Ed?" Al whispered, shaking with excitement.

"Never any better!"

When the boys slapped their hands against the rock, they felt a surge of energy flowing throughout their bodies and discharging through their open palms. The energy flow whenever they performed alchemy was tremendous this time. Their eyes widened with exhilaration as a bright blue light flashed upon their faces.

Slowly, the intense blue turned a menacing purple. The boys looked around, their confusion mingling with fear. Liz thrust the door open. A blood-curling scream rose from her throat, but never came.

A thin S curled in the circle, and it blinked open as an eye. Mysterious puffs of smoke rose from it, becoming small hands clawing at the boys and holding onto them as their body broke off and dissipated into indiscernible fragments. Before Liz's mind could catch up to her, she leapt to the circle. Unbearable pain reached her as her body broke off and dematerialized. "Ed! Al! No, no, n—" Her words were abruptly cut off when her vocal cords disappeared.

The boys screeched as they fell down hard against the floor. Ed clawed at the ground, trying helplessly to raise himself. All of him, his face, his body, his hands, broke off as the little hands pulled him towards the eye. Al pushed his fingers toward Ed's, but as their fingers met, they dissolved into the air. Liz was left to stare into the open before she was sucked away too.

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><p>Whiteness. Complete, utter whiteness.<p>

That was what she saw first. Or what she could perceive in this place so whole, complete. Just void, empty whiteness.

Suddenly, bits of black gradually appeared. It outlined the figure of a person, shrouded in darkness. But on its right arm, a human arm appeared.

It was her arm. The one she lost to Truth six years ago.

A mouth materialized and smirked. "Well, seems that you still haven't learned your place. Welcome back."

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><p><strong><em>After Note: <em>**_Hehe, cliffhanger :) Please review, follow, and favorite. _Especially _review! Reviews are my happiness.  
><em>_I might not write regularly—it all depends on how much time I have :/ However, I've been pretty into writing this, so I'll at least try to update as soon as possible. And try not discontinue :P_

~_OrAngESouL6D6M6_


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